Meet Tara and Jillian Torcaso | Co-Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara and Jillian Torcaso and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara and Jillian, why did you pursue a creative career?
Both of us are very creative in different ways, which we probably got from our mom because she was an artist. So our creativity is sort of inherited! Heading down a creative path was never planned though, it’s something that happened as a result of the right combination of timing and opportunity to guide us that direction.

Tara worked in a corporate career after college, most recently at a tech startup. In the couple of years prior to starting Dolce Picnics, Tara felt unfulfilled due to the lack of creativity possible within her job role. She loves interior design, creative writing, and photography. At the same time, younger sister Jill was having a tough time finding work at a cafe due to everything being closed. Jill is passionate about art, fashion, and writing poetry. When the idea of setting up luxury picnics came up in late 2020, we both instantly loved the idea! It gave Tara the creative outlet that she needed but wasn’t getting in her job, and gave Jill the chance to have a job that she also loves doing. We are definitely grateful for the way it happened and to have been guided to where we are right now. It feels like pursuing a creative career was meant to be for both of us!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We are professional luxury picnic planners! Which is definitely a topic of conversation when anyone asks what we do for work. But we are best described as experiential event planners and al fresco experience designers. In addition to our popular luxury picnics, we curate outdoor experiences of all types. Some of these experiences include dinner parties under the redwood trees or a movie date nights at a secret beach cove. Creating unique floral arrangements and beautiful tablescapes are our specialty, so our designs are very detailed with each of these elements. Our favorite designs are when we have the opportunity to use the glassware and dinnerware in our collection, most of which is thrifted, vintage, or purchased abroad. It makes it fun to create designs this way!

Starting was both easy and hard. We had no experience with picnics when we started. When we started, it was right before the luxury picnic space exploded. We initially came up with the idea after binge-watching every episode of The Bachelor during lockdowns. We thought the picnic dates on the show were so cute! When we looked it up, there was the one company that had been doing picnics like this for a few years. The colors offerred were neutral “boho” colors. So we decided we could do events like this for people too, but incorporate a glam edge to the boho-style decor and providing design options with a variety of themes and colors.

We went into this by jumping right in with no experience and no one to really look up to. We were more excited and hopeful than scared, especially since the initial investment to get started was low (we started with $500). Otherwise, we really had no idea what we were doing!

Since Tara has web design and business experience, she designed the website and got the basics set.. Meanwhile, Jillian is talented with social media marketing and started an Instagram for us. Ironically, someone connected to Bachelor Nation responded to a comment she left on a post about picnics. They booked with us, shared it on social media, and we quickly received bookings and followers. One month into it, we were referred by one of our followers to a luxury gown design and influencer duo that designs for celebrities and influencers including Mariah Carey and Beyonce. After he shared on social media we grew even more! About two months in, luxury picnic services gained traction and became super trendy. Having the success we had so quickly was a result of utilizing social media and pure timing.

The hardest parts of this business are the usual growing pains that result from the natural learning curve that comes with learning anything new or during a rapid period of growth. When we booked the event with the designer, it was for twenty-five guests. Since we were only a month into business, we only had one table that could seat four people. We basically had two weeks to get five more tables, tons of pillows, and extra place settings. We had planned to scale from two-person date nights to ten person bridal showers then eventually to larger events like this one and buy more materials as we reinvested back into the business. But it was an amazing opportunity to work with him, so we made it happen! Our aunt let us borrow $100 to buy enough supplies and she made all the gorgeous floral arrangements. It put us in brief financial strain to grow that quickly out of nowhere, but it is obviously a huge blessing as well. The event was a success and our business rocketed forward almost instantly.

With practice and time, our designs improved, we found better ways to manage our bookings, we figured out methods to streamline work or make setups easier (such as using lighter tables), we learned beach and park rules regarding permits, we discovered vendors we love working with to add to our designs (like our balloon artists), we developed more efficient packing and cleanup methods, we created solutions for issues that arise from wind (such as packing 3M tape and using sand anchors), and so much more! We continue to grow every day and with each event. But a lot of that growth is from difficult or uncomfortable situations, like an umbrella flying down the beach due to strong winds! So we are always learning and finding ways to improve. The challenges have definitely been opportunities to grow!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That’s a tough one! We’re so lucky here in Los Angeles to have so many diverse activities and places. For a friend that has never been here before, we would probably feel obligated to go to some of the quintessential iconic spots combined with some of our local favorites. We would start off with a hike to the Hollywood Sign followed by lunch at Craig’s. At some point we’ll relax at Will Rogers State Beach, go window shopping on Rodeo Drive, dine at Nobu in Malibu, visit the Arts District for drinks at Angel City Brewery and Belgian fries at Wurstküche, have ramen at Daikokuya Little Tokyo, have cocktails at Laurel Hardware in WeHo, dance to a solid internationally-known DJ at Exchange LA or Avalon (we recently saw our favorite Swedish House Mafia there), grab drinks at Perch followed by street hot dogs from a cart, have tacos at Sonoratown, take photos at LACMA, watch a Lakers game, catch a movie at Hollywood Forever, breakfast at The Original Pantry, C&O Trattoria in Marina del Rey…as you can see we love food and activities!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our parents along with Walter Mendez of Ryan& Walter and our Aunt Annie. Our mom was an artist that fostered an environment of creativity at home. Our dad has been the biggest supporter of our business, from offering advice to words of encouragement. He let us use his truck for transport before we bought our van. He even helped us on occasion with carrying items on the beach or anchoring umbrellas for us! Walter is one of our first clients after giving us a shot and trusting us to plan his birthday. Ever since, he has been a mentor and has given us opportunities to work on some amazing project with full creative freedom which is such a huge blessing. Our Auntie let us borrow $100 to buy materials and taught us how to make floral arrangements, along with fully believing in our idea to create luxury picnics to begin with!

Website: www.dolcepicnics.com

Instagram: @dolcepicnics

Facebook: @dolcepicnics

Other: Tik Tok: @dolcepicnics Pinterest: @dolcepicnics